Sukkah vandalized inside Carl Schurz Park on Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- There is a hate crime investigation on the Upper East Side after a community Sukkah was vandalized just one day before the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah.

The words "Free Gaza" were spray-painted all over the Sukkah in Carl Schurz Park early Sunday morning, not far from Gracie Mansion.

This is the first time the Sukkah has been vandalized in the three years the community has been putting it up.

"It's a slap in the face," said Rabbi Ben Krasnianski, Director of Chabad of the UES. "I mean, the Jewish community is celebrating, it's really very vicious. There is no room for this hatred in New York City."

A gathering called a "Demonstration of Jewish Pride" is now scheduled in front of the Chabad house on the Upper East Side Monday evening.